Nightfall:Politics
AM Omniance: June 5th 8:45 p.m. Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Budget Apartments AM Omniance: Fred: She walks out of the bathroom, having done her hair and make up, ready to go out for the night with Marcus. I think I'm ready. She smiles a little as she looks to him. AM Arbi: Marcus: He's wearing a grey shirt with a light brown leather jacket, blue jeans and a belt. It's something he sometimes wears when he goes out to a nightclub but hasn't had the chance to in a long time. He lets out a happy sigh when she steps out, awed by her. You look beautiful. AM Omniance: Fred: She smiles a little more. She's about to say something when there's a loud knock on the door and she looks over to it. A muffled voice comes from the other side. Winifred Lenover? He knocks again. Fred: She looks over to Marcus and then makes her way toward the door, looking out through the peep hole she sees a young man standing outside, tall enough that the top half of his face is out of view. ...Yes? Young Man: I have a message for you. Fred: She looks suspicious and turns to Marcus, not really sure what to do. AM | Edited 9:50:43 AM Arbi: Marcus: The voice doesn't sound familiar to him and when he checks the peep hole he can't see his face either. He motions for Fred to move behind him, off to the side, before opening the door himself to check who it is. AM Omniance: Young Man: Hi. He looks like some male model-type, tall and fit, with short hair. He looks passed Marcus to Fred and holds up a small red envelope. For Winifred Lenover only. It's a matter of... He looks at Marcus. Privacy. He looks back to Fred. In relation to your condition. He holds the card out to Fred. AM Arbi: Marcus: He thinks this man might be a vampire when he mentions Fred's "condition" and steps to the side, letting her grab the envelope. AM Omniance: Fred: She looks at Marcus for a moment, then snatches up the red envelope. She looks down at it and starts to open it. What's this about. Young Man: I'm just the delivery boy. He looks at Marcus again. Have a good night. He turns and walks down the hall without another word. AM | Edited 10:01:30 AM Arbi: Marcus: He closes the door and looks back at Fred, making sure the man is gone before he says anything. That was a vampire, wasn't it? AM Omniance: Fred: I don't think so... She pulls out a black letter with gold writing. It simply says "Vanessa Lord" on one side in plain letters, and "Nocturne Theatre, at 7879, 5th Street. 9:30 P.M. Don't be late." ...Hmm... AM | Edited 10:07:25 AM Arbi: Marcus: He walks up beside her and reads the letter. Vanessa Lord... she was at nightclub with Thomas in the VIP room. AM Omniance: Fred: She flips the card over. There's no way I'll get to downtown L.A. by then at this time of night... Not without a car. She sighs a little. And I don't want to go alone, but it sounded like it was... A vampire-only thing... She looks up to Marcus. AM Arbi: Marcus: I'll go... but I'll stay outside, out of sight. He thinks about the car issue. We could take a taxi there. AM Omniance: Fred: She shakes her head. Oh yeah. Better call them now. She walks over and grabs her cellphone, dialing the number. AM Omniance: About twenty minutes later... AM Omniance: Fred: As she gets out of the Taxis, she's still dressed up for her date with Marcus, wearing a short dress and her hair is done to one side. She looks up at the large old theatre as she stands outside of it, and taps the card against the palm of her hand. She lets out a quiet sigh. Just inside the theatre's doors is a large man in a tuxedo, and a young woman in "punk-goth" style clothing, both of them look like someone you wouldn't want to mess with as they stand there speaking to one another. AM Arbi: Marcus: He steps out of the Taxi and closes the door before looking up at the Theater, the taxi driving off. He sees the two people in the front, thinking they're vampires too. If I hear you're in trouble I'm going inside. He's not sure how well he'd be able to fight a vampire. Be careful in there, Fred AM Omniance: Fred: She sighs a little. ...I feel like we shouldn't have shown... She looks back to Marcus, then turns and walks through the front and into the concession area with the two vampires. They look to her for a moment, then go back to talking. She looks at them for a moment, then simply walks passed them and into a pair of opened doors that lead into a large theatre. There's a gathering of people inside, sitting in various places. After a moment she moves over to the left side, the right looking more like a gathering of a rougher crowd. She spots Vanessa, who is sitting with the young man from earlier, and slowly makes her way over to the gothic looking woman, taking a seat near her. Vanessa: She looks from the young man to Fred. So you were able to make it after all. I would've delivered the letter myself but your accommodations offended my pallet. Fred: She looks down in annoyance, but also feeling slightly embarrassed, as she knows she lives in a really shitty apartment. I'm... Assuming you're a vampire too... She looks around. ...Most everyone here is... I think. Vanessa: She smiles condescendingly. ...Yes, someone has called a meeting of utmost importance. She looks to the stage, which is still empty. And I wanted you to be here for it... She says the last part almost forebodingly. Fred: She continues to look around quietly for a moment, then looks to Vanessa. You know Thomas? Vanessa: I made Thomas. Just like how he made you. She watches the stage. Fred: ...Oh... She looks to the stage as a thin woman with pale skin and crimson-red attire walks onto it. ...What is this all about? Vanessa: I don't know. AM | Edited 11:16:05 AM Arbi: A young male vampire walks out onto the stage with the thin woman, he looks younger than almost everyone else here. He has dirty blonde hair and is wearing what looks like something a corporate business man would wear, with a small expensive looking coat over his suit. Behind him someone that looks nearly identical to him, maybe a younger brother follows him out onto the stage but turns to sit down on a chair to the left. Ardy: This meeting should come as no surprise to anyone here. His blue eyes slowly look over the few vampires here, many of them spread out within the theater. These past few weeks have been troubling to many of us. He pauses. Perhaps what Aradia has to share with us tonight will... ease our worries. We shall see. He walks away from her and sits down with his brother, leaving the red haired vampire to the stage. AM Omniance: Aradia: On the contrary... She looks over at Ardy for a moment. I called this meeting specifically due to the chaos that has gripped this city, and our kind over the passed three years, and I feel it is reaching a tipping point that needs to be addressed. She looks to rows of seats opposite the side Fred and Vanessa are sitting on. ...And despite my reservations, I am glad that members of the Anarch movement were... Kind enough to show. One of them yells out a cheer, and another lets out a really loud whistle. A muscular man sitting near the center of the group looks around at them, and the calm down a little. Aradia walks to the center of the stage. These pass months have seen a massive increase in activity that is hellbent on destroying us. Camarilla and Anarch alike. Her eyes seem to settle on Vanessa for a moment, then quickly dart to the rest of the crowd. From the north, the Sabbat are arriving via freight train, and other such method of difficult to control transportation. They flow into the city like a disease, embracing more and more to their kind, and we've even seen their activity in areas as close as Santa Monica and Hollywood. Rumors abound that a Tzimisce Bishop and his malcreations stalk the Hollywood Hills, and there have been whispers of one of the Lasombra commanding a small cadre of his or her own, just north of that. Meanwhile, the Nadrageel family continues to claw its way north, with Natalya's influence expanding faster than we're able to combat. I'm sure most of you have heard that the vampire society in San Diego has been snuffed out. Both the Anarchs and the Camarilla there have been destroyed or forced to flee south into mexico, or north to L.A. Meanwhile we are cut off to the east by the Nevada witch's blockade of magic. To make matters even worse, a cadre of powerful hunters, that openly attack our kind without fear, have been hunting us down by the dozens. She raises her hand. And I don't need to explain the massive magical blockade our kind faces, should we try to travel through Nevada, or most of Utah, due to the society of powerful Witches there... Her eyes settle on Vanessa. Then to make matters ever more dire, we have dissention within out midst. It's no secret that your Childe has frequently disregarded Camarilla law, consorting with non-Vampires about our kind, embracing Childer without permission... Along with his ever-fervent search for some kind of... Apocryphal knowledge that would have a profound effect on our kind. She looks to the Anarch side. But I'm sure most of you have already heard of these things... The purpose of this meeting isn't to provide lecture of all the ways we are slowly collapsing in on ourselves as a society. It is to state that... Just this evening... She pulls a small paper from her pocket and holds it up. I have been informed by Tremere pontifices themselves, that this City has quietly been considered a lost cause, and that even though the Camarilla will obviously not say it in official decree, the sects on the East Coast, and in Europe, will not send aid to us to help us maintain this city under Vampire sway. She shakes her head. At least not enough to make a difference... So, unknown to even my superior, She looks to Ardy. ...I called this meeting to find a solution to these problems, for if we don't take action... We may as well pack up and leave... Tonight even. She looks to Ardy, she seems to legitimately have no real idea of how to solve this situation. PM | Edited 12:03:37 PM Arbi: Ardy: And there you have it. The Sabbat, always the thorn in our side and the Nadrageel family. He walks back to the middle of the stage while he speaks. I will hold back Natalya myself, if she chooses to fight with money alone then she will find I am a worthy adversary. He looks towards the Anarchs who are mostly all sitting on the right side of the theater. The Sabbat will not be quite as easy to deal with, their strength comes from their sheer numbers and divided, I'm afraid they outnumber us. PM Omniance: Cadet: The same man from before that seems to have the right side of the theatre's respect speaks up. So you're proposing some kind of alliance? We already have a cease-fire. PM Arbi: Ardy: A coalition, if you will. I believe this may be the last chance we have to fight back this common foe together... He continues to look down at Cadet before he looks back towards Vanessa. ...before the Sabbat and these hunters become a problem we can no longer solve. PM Omniance: Cadet: He looks around at the others sitting near him. ...Are we to expected to be ordered around by the Camarilla then? In the name of... "Unity"? Haven't you already played this card before? Aradia: Circumstances are much different now. She looks at him with annoyance. Cadet: He stands up and points at her. We're supposed to follow a Prince we never elected, to fight and die where he tells us to fight and die? He looks around a little. Circumstances sound the same to me. We Anarchs outlasted the Sabbat before, and we had a truce with the boy-prince from Riverside for decades. The only difference is that you need us. PM Arbi: Ardy: Is that so? As he turns to look back at Cadet his brother behind him does at the same time. Tell me, Eric. Do you believe you will find freedom fighting a war you cannot win? You may have outlasted the Sabbat before but know that it was only because of the Camarilla. Without us, the Sabbat will run rampant across the streets of Los Angeles, embracing any they choose to until your fellow kindred are so outnumbered they are pushed back into a dark corner, only able to hide. He pauses. Perhaps you will find freedom in this dark corner... PM Omniance: Cadet: He looks at Ardy. So you just expect us to give up everything we've fought for, for the passed years, and give in to Camarilla rule... Most of us would rather die fighting than bend a knee for some slick in an ivory tower. PM | Edited 1:06:06 PM Arbi: Ardy: It's your choice, Eric, or should I say the choice of each individual among you. He smiles and motions towards the front exit of the theather. You'll find freedom through those doors but if you wish to stay, please stay seated. PM | Edited 1:06:36 PM Omniance: There's some murmuring amongst the Anarch side of the theatre. Cadet: He looks around at them, and sits back down, talking with them for a moment. A few minutes pass before he stands back up. We'll fight along side the Camarilla, but we'll handle individual situations in our own way, and we reserve the right to refuse your commands if we don't see them in good faith... We will not be the Camarilla's cannon fodder, while they sit in plush seats and watch from on high. He crosses his arms over his chest. You tell us where you want us, and you give us the information we need and what you want done, but we will choose how to go about it ourselves. PM Arbi: Ardy: Agreed. He turns and takes a few slow steps towards the other side of the theater, looking over the Primogen of the Camarilla. An alliance has been made, remember this the next time you see a fellow Anarch in danger. You will help them fight back. PM Omniance: Vanessa: She looks across the aisle. She doesn't seem too broken up about the verdict, though other Vampires in the seats around her seem to be less than pleased. Aradia: Since she's been so kind as to appear before us... What of Thomas' childe. She looks down at Fred with a cold stare. Fred suddenly feels like she's in trouble, like she's done something really wrong, even though she doesn't quite know what it is. Aradia looks around the Theatre. ...Since he isn't here to face his verdict, something might be said of this while we are all gathered here. PM | Edited 1:44:17 PM Arbi: Ardy: It appears this childe may of had a hand in inflicting final death on an infamous hunter. She's redeemed herself and I've decided she will not be punished. He look towards Vanessa. The same cannot be said for her sire... If you find Thomas, bring him to me. PM Omniance: Aradia: What have you to say of your lost Childe, Miss Lord? Vanessa: She stands up. Most know that Thomas and I have not been in close confidence since our divorce... And I think we all know that he's... Especially eccentric in recent months. You can't expect me to keep an eye on him at all times, I've a complex schedule. She narrows her eyes at Aradia. Or have you forgotten that it's my barony set against the oncoming droves of the Sabbat? And here I am to find that the hunter's had a safehouse in the hills near my very home. She raises an eyebrow. I came to this meeting hoping that the Camarilla would provide some kind of aid to me and my ilk against the hordes and hunters that walk my streets, but here instead I bare witness to a crumbling vestige... Clinging to assorted "greatness"... Aradia: She narrows her eyes. That matter has been resolved. She motions to Cadet and the Anarchs. Should you seek aid, you've only to look across the aisle to your friends, they've agreed to provide it. Vanessa: She looks to Cadet, who smirks and looks back at her as she frowns slightly. This is preposterous. She looks to Ardy. Just what exactly will Anarch society gain from Camarilla in the form of support with this matter. As of yet this meeting seems to have been called just to inform us of things we already know. The Anarchs agree to lend aid, but what Aid will be lent to us? As the primary mediator between these two factions, I have heard little from the head of the Camarilla that will openly benefit us. PM Arbi: Ardy: I am prepared to help my allies, be it information, weaponry or money. You have my word. PM Omniance: Fred: She looks around the room again, really feeling out of place. She thought she'd been getting used to being a vampire, but this sudden rush of newness, and these factions, and the convoluted politics of it have her feeling like she still doesn't know much of anything. Vanessa: Well. That's more like it then. She suddenly seems satisfied. When can we expect word on what to do and where to move? PM Arbi: Ardy: This war cannot be taken lightly. Expect your orders as soon as tonight. PM Omniance: Cadet: What about the girl, Durrance's Childe? He leans forwards, looking down the rows of seats to Fred. A toreador resourceful enough to kill the leader of those hunters, who gets her on their side? Aradia: She sighs, looking to Fred. It's obvious that this meeting is dragging on longer than she wants, about things she doesn't care for. PM | Edited 2:25:08 PM Arbi: Ardy: For the sake of our newly found allegiance, I'll let Vanessa choose her fate. PM Omniance: Vanessa: She looks to Fred like she doesn't really understand why anyone would care about some weeks-old fledgling. She doesn't seem very combat worthy to me. Fred: She seems to shrink down in her seat slightly. Vanessa: If you want her, Cadet, take her. She shrugs. Fred: A look of annoyance crosses her face and she suddenly blurts out. I'm not some item to be given away. She looks at Vanessa, then shrinks down again. Cadet: He smiles as someone in the crowd on his side yells out in a loud voice. Random Anarch: Sounds like she'll fit in with us perfectly! Fred: She looks back across the aisle, unsure of what all this means. PM Arbi: Ardy: He looks down at Fred before looking back at the rest of the theater. Thank you all for attending these proceedings and I hope this alliance does not fall on deaf ears. PM Omniance: Aradia: If any of you have any questions... I'm be around back for a few moments. She turns, shaking her head as she walks away off to the side of the stage. People start to stand up and walk out. Fred: I don't understand, there's two groups? I thought there was one. Vanessa walks away without paying attention to Fred's question. The young man that came to her door earlier replies instead. Complicated, isn't it? You'll figure it out, or someone will tell you. He walks passed her towards the exit. Fred: She frowns slightly, looking over at the group of "Anarchs", then to the young man that was on stage.